


Falling from grace

by Epically_scottish_big_b



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Cruelty, Near Death, Not Happy, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 21:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4409123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epically_scottish_big_b/pseuds/Epically_scottish_big_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reno cursed as he hit the helicopter console. "We gotta turn around!" He growled, moving to do just that. Rude was beside him in an instant, taking over the controls. There was a brief but violent scuffle as Reno tried to force his partner away. "Shouldn't have left in the first place we gotta go back! Rude!" Reno placed one well aimed kick at his partner's ribs.</p><p> </p><p>---<br/>Tseng and Elena in their time captured by the remnants - violence and torture inside. Covers their capture and rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. sweet sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Tseng and Elena in their time captured by the remnants - violence and torture inside. Covers their capture and rescue. Originally posted to fanfiction.net I'm taking it down bringing it over here and finishing it since I never did and this place doesn't have enough Tseng and Elena love.

Reno cursed as he hit the helicopter console. "We gotta turn around!" He growled, moving to do just that. Rude was beside him in an instant, taking over the controls. There was a brief but violent scuffle as Reno tried to force his partner away. "Shouldn't have left in the first place we gotta go back! Rude!" Reno placed one well aimed kick at his partner's ribs receiving nothing but a grunt for his efforts. Reno's tantrum would subside, his rage was like a fast burning flame and something Rude had long ago learnt to handle. The red head unbuckled himself and got to his feet, a rumbling wordless cry of frustration escaping him as he let out some of his fury on the door of the cockpit. Rude silently took Reno's vacated seat, settling in for the long flight, the package that had cost them so dearly sitting safely on the floor at his feet.

Losing a Turk had never been something that was easy to swallow. Leaving still living turk's behind was even harder. Rude adjusted his sunglasses just slightly. Elena's yells seemed to echo through their transport, reinforcing Rudes determination. Even if Tseng or Elena had asked for help, there was nothing they would have been able to do, but being told to leave… it helped. Reno slumped down nearby to Rude, on the floor his eyes cast upwards. The anger seemed to be passing and slowly he regained his usual smile, even if it was a bit forced. "Guess this is a mission accomplished huh?"

"Guess so," Rude replied passively, changing course slightly. Routine mission… thats what Tseng had told them. Search and retrieval, nothing too difficult. They were lucky that as many as two of them got away in that mess. He knew he'd have to take Reno out for a couple of rounds of drinks after this. To be quite honest he could use one himself… The thought of what they'd left the others to would be a bit easier to swallow if it was washed down with beer.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His hands were bound. In the time he'd been unconscious the circulation had been prevented from passing his wrists sufficiently that a painful ache had settled in his fingers. Tseng flexed them, just slightly, in hopes of helping the sensation pass. The movement brought him to full wakefulness and slowly he opened his eyes to observe his surroundings. Light burrowed into his skull like the point of a blade and he winced but kept his eyes open, adjusting. The offending brightness ebbed from the tree's around him and the director sat upright as he studied them. He and Elena were alone. Elena was restrained in a similar fashion, with her wrists bound behind her and her ankles tied together. Tseng observed her from a distance, aware she had not regained consciousness but seeing few sever injuries.

The world span dangerously from the small shift in position and Tseng's brow furrowed as he tried to force through it. A wound on his forehead made itself known and he briefly remembered the glancing blow that had landed there. Yes… The disorientation it had caused meant that he couldn't get back to the helicopter in time and he'd had to trust Elena and Rude to complete the mission safely… But Elena had not followed protocol and held a defensive position… After that he couldn't remember what had happened, darkness had claimed his world. 

He shifted again, more carefully this time so as not to rob himself of consciousness, simply trying to get into a better position to undo his bindings. He continued undisturbed for a while, every few moments glancing at his downed subordinate to try and keep on top of her condition. The sounds of movement were what made the director pause, studying his immediate surroundings for the first sign of his captor. The one that hoisted him to his feet was very strong but clearly not very bright. The quickness of the movement made Tseng lurch as the forrest descended into blur of motion. Tseng bowed his head and shut his eyes, willing the unpleasant sensation to halt. "Look who's finally awake…" A childish voice taunted. Tangled black hair was snatched up and tugged back, forcing Tseng to look at who was speaking to him.

He wasn't sure what he had expected. Someone he knew, he supposed. The man… no child in front of him was familiar in a way but certainly nobody the Turk remembered very clearly. His fine silver hair fell neatly around his face, framing his cruel smirk. Tseng frowned, distinctly unimpressed. "One of Shinra's dogs… one of the men that took mother from us…" Tseng's frown deepened but he said nothing. Their retrieval had been a success, but of course if it hadn't he wouldn't still be alive. The head injury must have dulled his senses for him to not have been aware of this. The child apparently had expected some response to the most common jibe the turks heard in their day to day lives and lacking one became enraged. Tseng was prevented from following the motion of the slap that the boy delivered by the firm grip on his hair. It stung, certainly and a red mark blossomed on his cheek but the director could have laughed at the display. 

"Is he going to tell us where mother is Kadaj?" Tseng twisted just slightly in the grip of the much larger person that held him still. So this child was named Kadaj?

"One of them will Loz don't worry… because we know who has mother we just don't know where they are…" Kadaj spoke slowly his previous anger forgotten. The silver haired child slowly and purposefully drew a sword, watching as the turk followed the blade with his eyes before he gently rested it on his neck. "Where is president shinra?" Tseng's expression didn't change as the blade rested against his throat. A threat of death? honestly? He kept his dutiful silence. A person like Kadaj was an open book to the seasoned turk. Demanding, childish, impatient and easily enraged. It was a personality profile that had come through the department of administrative research dozens of times and it was someone that was ill suited to interrogation situations. True enough the blade was drawn back just a little too quickly, nicking the skin beneath and letting drop a small pearl of blood. "Where is president shinra!?" Kadaj repeated lashing out with a wide swipe that was just derailed from cutting the captive open when a third boy tugged him back. The very tips of the twin blades sliced through shirt, finely parting the skin beneath. Red blossomed through the fabric and despite himself Tseng curled around the wound, his hair finally released by Loz allowing him to bow his head. 

"Not like that Kadaj," The third boy spoke quietly, his gaze shifting from his sibling to their prisoner. "slower… methodically… get into his head…" The speaker laughed gently and signalled for Loz to force the director upright again. Once more the world swam though not nearly as concerningly as before, the sting from the cuts sobering enough to be an anchor in the waking world. The new boy didn't repeat Kadaj's question as he slowly approached, coming uncomfortably close. Dark eyes met green and a spark of recognition ignited in the far reaches of Tsengs mind. "Loz," he spoke, eyes flicking away from Tseng to fix on his brother. "Break his fingers." 

Tseng stiffened, bracing himself for what was to follow. The restraining grip shifted but didn't loosen as Loz freed a hand to do as his brother asked, taking hold of three of Tsengs fingers before… "Wait," the unnamed boy commanded, watching as Tseng was forced to let out the breath he'd been holding in preparation of the blow. "One at a time…" 

"But Yazoo…"

"One at a time," Yazoo repeated, tilting his head to watch Tsengs reaction. It was a small one, a slight clenching of his jaw and a shift of stance. But it was enough. The first finger broke with a resounding snap and Tseng flinched as the pain flared through his hand. "Tell me," Kadaj took over from Yazoo as the second snap filled the clearing. "How will you defend your president, if you can't use your hands?" He hated to admit that it struck a cord. To die for shinra, Tseng could do that - he hadn't considered any other possible outcome but... The third crack broke his trail of thought and the short shout of pain was the first vocalisation they got from the director. 

"Tseng…?"

The directors eyes hardened as Kadaj glanced sideways at the person speaking then back to Tseng with a wolfish grin. Elena's head was pounding and her eyes were blurred as she looked around in confusion. She had thought she heard a noise… a cry of pain that sounded distinctly like Tseng… Before she could get her bearings she was trapped roughly and tugged to her knees. She yelped struggling with a sudden wildness in her disorientation. It died down as she ran out of breath. Kadaj laughed as she struggled, wandering closer to the female turk now being held still by Yazoo. "You don't care about your own safety? what about hers…?" He said quietly as Yazoo lifted his gun and placed it directly on the rookies temple. 

To her credit, Elena didn't flinch or whimper. If anything it was as if the cold, dangerous touch of the barrel to her skin was calming and her posture changed, her eyes darkening. She tilted her head back, inviting them to pull the trigger. 'Don't be afraid of a bullet,' she remembered being told. 'You're lucky if you go out with a bullet to the head.' Her eyes flickered to Tseng, the very person who had spoken those words to her. He was a mess… his clothes crumpled, torn and bloody already. He was watching her, his usual firm gaze had taken on a steely edge - preparation of watching her die? She yelped as the gun hit her brutally across the face, the bladed edge catching her cheek. It burned, and she couldn't help prodding at the inside of her cheek with her tongue to be certain it hadn't cut all the way through. "You'll watch her die? slowly and painfully? Screaming?"

"Yes."

The confirmation tasted bitter, but if he had to, yes he would. He'd watched comrades die before, when he was unable to help them. The fact of the matter was one turk simply was not as valuable as the rest of the planet. They were disposable, it was a hard truth but one that all of them knew, even with their low numbers as they were. Elena knew all of that. But it still sent a chill through her. She'd been a Turk for a long time… four years, but in that time she hadn't been in as many of the life or death situations that hung over the others heads. While she had told herself she'd face death when it came - which in her line of work meant she wouldn't have long to wait - she couldn't help being afraid. "Fine," Kadaj hissed, glancing at his brother. Yazoo seemed to understand the look because a moment later he was pulling Elena to her feet and dragging her somewhere behind Tseng and Loz, where they couldn't see. The splash told Tseng everything he needed to know though.

Elena had been given no time to prepare herself before her head was forced roughly under the icy cold water. At first she didn't struggle much, a slight twisting of the shoulders to try and shake the remnant off herself. But as her lungs began to scream for air the panic became difficult to subdue. Slowly her struggles became more desperate, she began to thrash. All she needed was one breath, just one lung full of air. Her chest felt tight and her throat began to contract as if convincing itself she was inhaling… she was losing the battle with her body. Suddenly she broke the surface, tugged upright before she swallowed the water. The quick breath in she managed to gain would have been heavenly if she hadn't immediately been forced under the surface again. There was no pre tense of calm this time. The turk struggled wildly, twisting under Yazoo's ever firm grip, nearly pulling her own hair out of her skull. She couldn't beat the tension that was slowly claiming her body as her instincts overrode her orders and commanded her to inhale. The water rushed into her lungs and finally she was pulled up, coughing violently, barely managing to breathe for the convulsions that wracked her body. 

Yazoo waited calmly for her to somewhat settle before he forced her under yet again. Tseng listened nearby, his face a picture of stone. The next time Elena was pulled up for air, she sobbed weakly. The emotional strain was something of a gap in her armour, one Tseng now held himself responsible for not preparing her to face. "Would you like to tell us where mother is?" Kadaj asked quietly, gently… almost sympathetically. Tseng's chest tightened as he considered the very real possibility that Elena would tell them. It could all be over so suddenly. Elena had never faced a situation like this and the director was abruptly worried that she couldn't handle it.

"Not a clue." The already familiar splash followed the words.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mreeeh I cant write long chapters

Elena was tossed aside like a rag doll, her shoulders and head dripping wet. She was still coughing, though quieter now, unable to expend the energy on anything more. Tseng watched her now that she was back in view, a little proud despite himself. He'd known people who would have cracked by now and the rookie, tired and abused though she was, had managed. Now she deserved her rest, though she only got it because Kadaj had grown tired of her. The silver haired menace nudged Elena's ribs with his foot, watching her lack of reaction with irritation. "You ruined her Yaz, now she's too tired to scream." Yazoo shrugged his shoulders. Somehow despite the chaos at the waterside Yazoo was spotless from head to foot. Not a drop of water or dirt had managed to land on him. 

The entire process could only have taken two or so hours, but to both turks it had seemed to go on for days. Tseng had stopped paying any attention to the boys, Elena being the main focus of his attention now. He didn't notice Kadaj's approach because of this until his chin was grabbed roughly and he was forced to meet the boys eyes. Tseng didn't blink, defiance aflame in his eyes. Kadaj observed him thoughtfully for a time before releasing him. Tseng expected worse - more pain, another tantrum. Instead Kadaj reached into Tseng's suit pocket and retrieved his phone.

"Make sure they can't get away," Kadaj snapped, flipping open the phone and wandering away from his siblings.

"Loz," Yazoo glanced at his brother and as if his name was enough he acted, lashing out suddenly. Tseng was hit by a brief moment of pain as Loz sharply struck the back of his head, before his world was swallowed up by darkness. The remnant let the director drop, unconscious and limp. 

Perhaps Yazoo had expected a reaction from Elena, that as a rookie she would not be as capable at schooling herself. He was proven wrong. Elena watched Tseng fall and the only sign she cared was a hitch to her breath which could easily have been a result of her near drowning. The remnants left the two like that.

She was shivering badly by the time it had gotten dark, her damp clothes clinging to her skin and sapping her of what little warmth she had. Her left eye was swollen shut and watered terribly near constantly. All this she dealt with without any internal complaint. Elena hadn't spoken a word since Tseng had lost consciousness. At first it was because it was too painful to speak. Each inward breath set her torso aflame with the pain of cracked ribs - stealing the air from her lungsand stopping words from forming. But as time went on there was simply nothing to say, nothing that needed to be spoken aloud to comfort her.

Her mind had settled onto a plan and she had been silently working at her bindings… Mentally she scolded herself for taking so long to start. Shock, she mused as she prised at the cords; shock from the near drowning and everything that followed. Her gaze rarely straying far from the downed turk in front of her as she worked - Tseng was the problem with her plan.

'Elena go, get out.' He'd already asked her to leave him behind once, and she had refused then. She faltered a moment, studying him now. He was bruising badly, the front of his shirt stained with blood from the parallel cuts that across his chest. He would want her to leave without him. But in her place he wouldn't leave without her… She continued to prise at the cord on her wrists.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why isn't Tseng giving the report?" It wasn't the first time his lead Turk had tried to push Reno into doing this kind of work and Rufus wasn't particularly in the mood for it now. He was tired, the geostigma throbbed and he'd of had trouble taking the words in even if they had been said with any form of grace. Reno was still talking about the condition of the cells they'd collected, avoiding the details of the mission. The redhead cut off abruptly when he was interrupted and for a long moment Rufus had trouble decoding the flickering emotions in his turk's eyes. It wasn't like Reno to slam down all of his defences in the way he had and the shifting motions were something he'd only seen once before… when he was describing Tseng's critical condition after his run in with Sephiroth at the temple of the ancients. "Reno…?"

"There were two casualties-"

"Casualties?" Rufus cut him off, feeling something drop in his chest. Tseng and Elena didn't make it back, thats why Reno was giving the report in Tseng's place. The president's hand rose halfway to rub at his brow but stopped, lowered back to the arm of his chair. Not in front of Reno. "The remnants…?"

Reno nodded. He'd almost expected Rufus to blame him for the failure. As pilot he should have been able to do more. Instead He was waved away, what was left of the report forgotten. He'd told the president all he needed to know. The door closed behind Reno with a dull thud, leaving Rufus alone to his pain and his thoughts. For a long time he didn't make a sound but then he leant forward and took his head in his hands. Sometimes he wondered if there really was a 'right' side to be on. When they did what was right for others it always resulted in pain and heartache for them…

Not that being out for himself had ever ended well for Rufus either.

Slowly his hands came to rest on the box on the table. The cells retrieved at such a high cost. He lifted it, grimacing when the weight made pain lance through his arms. Rufus had never been the best at dealing with pain and it had been a constant state of being for the last few years. This box had cost him half of his Turks. This box could bring about the destruction of the planet. Rufus sighed as the weight of the box seemed to grow. He placed it in his lap, tucked away under the blanket the doctor insisted he needed for warmth. He wont trust it anywhere else.


End file.
